Via Megan McArdle, I learn of another self-important utterance from Andrew Sullivan. Where I once had read his blog on a regular basis, now I only learn of his thoughts when I chance across them in posts by conservative and, as in the current case, libertarian bloggers. This time, Andrew misrepresents both conservatives and the reasons the “conservative coalition” no longer embraces him:

Unlike many of these tea-partiers and their supporters, I actually took on the Bush administration’s big government tendencies, fiscal recklessness and massive expansion of executive power at the time (and was largely cast out of the conservative coalition as a result). I opposed the Medicare prescription drug benefit as unaffordable – and no one can argue that what looks like the current healthcare reform would cripple future finances as profoundly as that Bush entitlement.

I’ll leave it to McArdle for a much defter analysis of legislation than I could ever offer of Andrew’s last point. (Read her post; it’s quite good.) Like her, indeed, like many conservatives, I opposed the prescription drug benefit.

But, Andrew is wrong to suggest he was “cast out” of the conservative coalition for standing up to Bush’s “fiscal recklessness.” Only in his own imagination (and that of a number of left-wingers) were all conservatives complicit in and supportive of Bush’s domestic spending spree.

I’m sure our readers with little thought and a few quick keystrokes can come up with even more.

While still claiming to “adhere to most of the principles of the small government right,” Sullivan has backed most of the policies of the big government left (put forward by the Obama Democrats). In backing those policies (and a certain 2004 presidential candidate espousing similar expansions in the federal government), it wasn’t the right which cast Andrew out, but Andrew who abandoned conservatives while continuing to pay lip service to our ideas.

Not just that, as Ronald Radosh puts it, in a piece speculating about the price for Andrew’s support of the Administration, “regularly blasts conservatives“. How can Sullivan claim the conservatives cast him out when he regularly repudiates their policies (signing on to liberal ones) and blasts their leaders.

FROM THE COMMENTS: SoCalRobert says something which makes a lot of sense, “Sully wasn’t cast out of the vast right wing conspiracy; he packed up and left. He’s upset that no one asked him to stay.”

9 Comments

While still claiming to “adhere to most of the principles of the small government right…

Like the socialization of medicine? What a sad joke Andrew has become. What a self-parody.

But, Andrew is wrong to suggest he was “cast out” of the conservative coalition for standing up to Bush’s “fiscal recklessness.” Only in his own imagination (and that of a number of left-wingers) were all conservatives complicit in and supportive of Bush’s domestic spending spree.

Indeed. Andrew’s new Dream Boyfriend runs deficits four times as large as Bush’s. I understand that Andrew gives it some criticism, but somehow I doubt his heart is in it.

As a non-conservative, I can’t speak to whether, when or why Andrew was “cast out of the conservative movement”. But I can tell you why I started viewing him as a degenerate nut.

- His senseless, preening and irresponsible waffling on Iraq.
- His senseless, preening and irresponsible stance on enhanced interrogations.
- His senseless, preening and irresponsible creation of the Trig Truther movement. (Indeed, he is that movement.)
- His senseless, preening and irresponsible endorsements of Democrats, in 2004 and 2008.

I won’t even mention his sexual hypocrisy, as anything that has affected me. He offers plenty to ridicule, on policy alone.

Mitchell, you’re my nephew and a great guy, but I’m concerned about the racism implicit in your comment. You give Obama the middle initial “O” (when his real middle initial is “H”) which would make his initials spell, “boo,” which is the sound ghosts make. A synonym for ghost is spook which is also a derogatory term for black people.

Sullivan was ‘cast out’ of Conservatism for the same reason he was ‘cast out’ of Catholicism: because, no matter what he calls himself, he shares no actual ideals with either movement.

I remember watching him debating Chris Hitchens on Hot Air; there was this amazing point when you could look in Sully’s eyes and realize that he himself didn’t believe the BS that was coming out of his own mouth… but he kept on going anyway.

On ILC’s list, numbers 1, 2, and 4 did it for me. By the time he tried to start the Trig Truther movement I had long since stopped reading anything that he wrote–unless I happened to follow a link and clicked over to his website by accident.

The one thing that ILC left out is how, although there was a lot of senseless preening and waffling going on as early as August or September 2003, it really became unbearable after February 2004 when Bush made the speech saying he opposed gay marriage. That was what really pushed Sullivan over the edge and set him on the path to his endorsement of John Kerry.